Women and Gender Studies

WELCOME

Welcome to the Women and Gender Studies minor! In our interdisciplinary coursework, you'll take courses offered in departments across the university as you explore the complexities of sex, gender, and sexualities in biological, social, historical, and philosophical discourses. How do these identities shape who we have been, who we are, and who we may become? Faculty members in Women and Gender Studies are committed to investigating the way in which theories of gender and sexuality influence modern thought and social practice. As you chart your own path through curriculum that complements your major, we will offer you new ways of thinking across disciplines.

The Women and Gender Studies minor supports many outreach programs on the A-State campus. We serve as guest teachers in First Year Experience courses, where we teach about sexual assault prevention on campus. We organize the Safe Zone program, which trains faculty and staff to respond sensitively to LGBTQIA issues and to make the campus a safer and more welcoming place for all students. We host speakers for Women's History Month and program events for World AIDS Day, Transgender Day of Remembrance, and Pay Equity Day. Throughout the year, we lead panels that invite students and faculty to talk about the way we think about sexuality, sexual violence, reproduction, and a wealth of other issues that shape our experience of the world. We work to promote student research on issues related to women, gender, and sexuality.

To be part of a growing consortium of students and faculty across the A-State campus dedicated to Women and Gender Studies, contact minor advisor and WGS coordinator Dr. Michele Merritt at mmerritt@astate.edu